Ivey Reid Locke "Buddy"

April 15, 1953 - March 5, 2021

Ivey Reid Locke "Buddy, son of William Ivey Locke and Hazel Reid Locke went home to be with the Lord on Friday, March 5, 2021. He was born in Ahoskie, NC on April 15, 1953 and attended Gates County Public Schools, graduating from Gates County High School in 1971. He accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as his personal Savior at an early age and joined Ballard*s Grove Baptist Church, Eure, NC, where he served in the Deacon Ministry, Senior Choir and Male Chorus. Buddy received a BS in History from North Carolina A and T State University on May 4, 1975 and a MA in Education from NCATSU in 1978. He worked in the Gates County Public School System where he served as a teacher for the Traveling Classroom Program and later, as a substitute teacher. He also taught at Roanoke-Chowan Community College in the GED Program. He left the education field and worked for the NC Department of Transportation, Perdue Farms and National Welders as a truck driver until he retired on disability after 26 years of service. Buddy loved good food; he especially enjoyed hamburger steak with mashed potatoes, gravy and green beans, Mama Phyllis* chili beans, Violet*s rice salad, and Trinity*s chocolate cake. He often went to Doris and Roger*s Kitchen and Charlie West*s grill, where he was treated like he was a member of the family. Buddy was preceded in death by his parents, older brother William Joseph (Joe) Locke and his son, Matthew (Jr) Jacobs. His surviving family members include: one daughter, Rev. Dr. Latoya Jacobs, six grandchildren, four great-grandchildren, one sister, Violet Locke (James) Harrington, one brother, Allen Leroy Locke, one sister-in-law, Jane V. Locke, four nieces (Melody, Mia, Andrea and Jessica Locke) and one nephew, Philip Locke, one aunt, Gayle Locke (William) Watson, several first cousins, his two special cousins, Teresa Harrell Ayers and James Lee Harrell, special friends, Rufus Ballard, Mack Costen and many more relatives and friends.